Committees

In order to carry out all projects that our club is involved with throughout the year, each member is asked to join one or more committees.

Name

Chairs

Description

AGRIGULTURE

Bomar, Gary

Directing the budgeted funds to the benefit of young persons involved in the agriculture community through the 4-H Horse Show and other 4-H and FFA Projects in Taylor County. Also help solicit volunteers for these events and the WestTexas Fair & Rodeo.

Bailey Choate Award Committee

Laster, Dennis

This award honors a long-standing member of our club who goes above and beyond the call of duty and responsibility in serving the children and needy of our community.
This committee is made up of a current vice president and two previous club presidents who are selected by the chair.

Blood Bank & American Heart

Berry, Russell

Gives direction to the club's efforts to support the Blood Bank and American Heart Association.

Boy Scouts of America Troop 206

Wolfe, Bobbie-Lee

Serves as a liaison for interaction between the Kiwanis Club of Abilene and the Boy Scout troop which we sponsor.

Boys and Girls

Carter, Jerry

Promotes the welfare of local children and youth organizations by providing financial support based on recommendation and need.

Club Satellite

Gantt, Laquiera

Satellite members who cannot attend regular Wednesday meetings meet once a month. They participate in Committees and fundraisers as well as create their own service projects such as helping with Fall Festivals.

Coat Project

Young, Twyla

This committee collects coats to distribute to those in need during the winter months.

Community Service

Paige, Don

Promotes the welfare of adult citizens and organizations such as the Food Bank, Hope Haven, Adult Day Care, Meals on Wheels, etc., and distributes budgeted funds to support their efforts.

Elections

Nix, Clinton

Administers the election of officers, process and counts the votes, then reports the results to the club. They also function as the counters for other issues that require a club vote.

Financial Review

Poynor, Ken

Kentz, Larry

This committee, determined by vote of the club board annually, consists of two or more qualified (financial or accounting experience) club members excluding any board members. The committee is responsible for completing an annual examination of financial records of the club including, but not limited to, bank reconciliations, income, disbursements, budgets, balance sheets and income and expense statements for both the administrative and service accounts.

Foundation Scholarship and Valedictorian/Salutatorian Recognition Program

Miller, Nancy

(the previous year’s Club President chairs this committee and appoints a committee to serve with him/her.)
Administers the scholarship program of the Club that is funded through the Club’s Foundation. Each year, the Board will determine the dollar amount available and the number of awards to be given in scholarships. This committee notifies the schools of the scholarship, screens the applicants, selects the scholarship recipients, and then notifies the scholarship recipients and their parents to attend the recognition program.
This committee selects the speaker for the Valedictorian/Salutatorian and Scholarship Recipient program and works with the school counselors to invite the local Valedictorians and Salutatorians and their parents to the program.

Greeters

Anderson, Marty

Committee meets and greets members and guests each meeting with a handshake and smile and a hearty welcome. It is important that the members of this committee arrive early and greet until a few minutes before noon.

Gumball

Williams, Earl

This committee guides the club in placing Kiwanis gumball machines throughout the city and provides monthly reports about our income. Money raised is funneled into children’s projects.

House

Kincaid, Richard

Members of this committee arrive early for each meeting to set up button display, registration tables, banner displays, and other necessary arrangements required by the president and speakers. They also put up and pick up when the meeting is over. They are also available to place on each table any handouts that the program might have that day.

International Project

Spargo, Becky

Investigate opportunities for our club to participate and help fund a youth project outside the United States. The committee cooperates with Kiwanis International on such projects.

Kiwanian of the Year

President will appoint one of the 5 committee members. The Committee is made up of the past 5 recipients.
This committee meets each year to select a member of the club who has demonstrated outstanding membership in terms of leadership, involvement, and attendance during the year

Kiwanigram

Carr, Brandon

This committee is responsible for the production of the weekly Kiwanigram.

Kiwanis Directory

Laster, Dennis

The president of the club is responsible to develop and distribute the Kiwanis Club of Abilene Directory.

Meals On Wheels

Hoogstra, Bill

This is a service committee that every member could participate in. Volunteers serve meals to those members of our community who would go hungry otherwise.

Melvin Martin First Responder Award

Martin, Melvin

This award recognizes a member of our community or area who has played a major role in rendering aid or rescuing or saving another person’s life during the year. The recipient will be recognized at the club meeting closest to September 11th, and the committee will arrange a special speaker for this program.

Membership

Curtis-Carr, Christine

Martin, Maryann

Leads the club in membership awareness by having several initiatives during the year to encourage members to invite prospects. Receives applications for membership in our club, and recommends to the board or denies in committee. The membership committee is made up of three sub committees:
1.Attendance and Retention
2.Care and Support
3.Education and Orientation

Membership - Attendance and Retention

Curtis-Carr, Christine

Martin, Maryann

Responsible for registration of members and guests and contacts those who miss the club meeting three times in a row to determine if the club can be of service...mainly to let them know that they are missed.

Membership - Care and Support

Curtis-Carr, Christine

Martin, Maryann

Sends cards, makes phone calls, and stays in touch with members who are in need of special support.

Membership - Education and Orientation

Curtis-Carr, Christine

Martin, Maryann

Works on developing an effective orientation for new members, and looks for ways to quickly assimilate new members into the Club and its activities.

Nominating Committee

Miller, Nancy

The nominating committee shall nominate the club's officers and directors as set forth in the club's bylaws and operating procedures. The past five presidents of the club and the club secretary will serve as the nominating committee, with the most recent president serving as the Chairman of said committee.

Pancake Day

Roewe, Randy

This is the primary service project of our club and every member is on this committee. Every member is expected to sell tickets and work on Pancake Day if at all possible. The overall chairman is the President-Elect, but there are many others who are vital to its successful completion.

Program

Christensen, Lora Lynn

Hoover, Mark

Meets as scheduled every month to review programs of the past month; plans and arranges future programs.

Public Relations - Newspaper/Ki-Notes/Social Media

Gantt, Laquiera

Morales, Yelithza

This is a sub committee for Public Relations.
Serves to present to our community through the media the activities of our club, primarily the engender interest for membership, but to let the community know of all the good we do to help youth and adults. Also communicates our activities to Division 35 through the Ki-Notes

Public Relations - Radio/TV

Bacon, David

Serves to present to our community through the media the activities of our club, primarily to engender interest for membership, but o to let the community know of all the good we do to help youth and adults. Also communicates our activities to Division 35 through the Ki-Notes.

Ramp Building

Jones, Kelly

This is a service project of a statewide nature, initiated in our local club to construct ramps to the homes of disabled citizens of our community.

Serve our Schools - Bringing Up Grades (BUG)

Breed, Jamie

Volunteers from our club provide certificates, pins and other prizes for each student in the 3rd or 4th grade at Reagan Elementary who makes the BUG Honor Roll for the 6 weeks grading period. Students achieve the BUG Honor Roll by maintaining their grades from the previous 6 weeks PLUS bringing up at least one subject by a letter grade. All students who achieve the BUG Honor Roll at least once during the year get to attend the end of year party given by our club.

Serve Our Schools - Reading at Reagan Elementary

Ruiz, John

Volunteers from our club read and listen to K-3rd grade students at Reagan Elementary (our adopted school) for 30 minutes to 1 hour a week. Through this committee we also contribute books to give to students, as well as provide funds to help in purchasing workbooks for the students in the lower grades.

Service Leadership Programs (SLP)

Young, Mark

This committee looks for ways and means to establish and support the Kiwanis Family organizations such as Kiwanis Kids in elementary schools, Builders Clubs in middle schools, Key Clubs in high schools, Circle K Clubs in the university and colleges, and Aktion Clubs for adults with disabilities.
This committee is made up of three sub-committees:
1. Aktion Club
2. Builders Club
3. Key Club

Service Leadership Programs (SLP) - Aktion Club

Poynor, Gary

This committee looks for ways and means to establish and support the Kiwanis Family organizations through Aktion Clubs for Adults with Disabilities

Service Leadership Programs (SLP) - Builders Club

Young, Mark

This committee looks for ways and means to establish and support the Kiwanis Family organizations through Builders Clubs in middle schools.

Service Leadership Programs (SLP) - Key Club

Wiskow, Amanda

This committee looks for ways and means to establish and support the Kiwanis Family organizations such as Key Clubs in High Schools.

Sophomore of the Year

Carnohan, Chris

Carnohan, Kristen

In the fall this committee will send information about the T-O Foundation Board scholarship program for Sophomore of the Year to the schools assigned to our club (Cooper, ACHS, Anson, ATEMS, Premier and Baird for 2014-2015). This committee reviews the applicants and selects a Sophomore of the Year from our club who will be recognized at a club meeting. Our selectee is then submitted to our Lt. Governor who will select a Sophomore of the Year for Division 35 from the nominees of all the clubs in Division 35. The winner of Division 35 is then submitted along with winners from the other Divisions for consideration of the Texas/Oklahoma Foundation Board scholarship. Complete information is available at the Texas/Oklahoma District Office.

Special Programs/Activities

Ellison, Tammi

Plans, organizes, and implements the social activities of the club to include the annual Celebration Banquet.

Spiritual Aims

Williams, Randall

This committee keeps us focused on the first objective of Kiwanis. . .that of giving primacy to the human and spiritual values in life rather than the material. They do this in a variety of ways by being responsible for: (1) the weekly devotional in the Kiwanigram, (2) engaging a member of the club to offer the prayer at the meeting each week, (3) arranging for three programs of the year and communicating with the Program Committee regarding those arrangements (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter programs) and (4) initiating efforts to select the layman of the year from our club to be identified to the Lt. Governor for consideration in the Division award.

Vocational Guidance Award Program

Gantt, Laquiera

Committee coordinates with the schools in selecting and recognizing the local, outstanding high school vocational students at the end of the year. The committee also awards at least two scholarships of at least $500 to local vocational students. The committee selects the speaker for and plans this annual club program held in May where the honorees and scholarship recipients are recognized along with their parents.
This committee is made up of all members of our Club Satellite.

Young Children Priority One/Children's Miracle Network (CMN)

Laster, Cynthia

Weeks, Sherry

Identifies and implements projects for children, pre-natal through age five. Projects can address maternal and child health, childcare, early development, nutrition, parenting education and support, pediatric trauma, and safety.